Garment-holder.



No. 709,970, Patented Sept. 30,- I902.

N. DOUGLAS.

A GARMENT HOLDER. (Application Bled Jan. 23 1902.)

(No Model.)

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I filiys.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

NATHAN DOUGLAS, OF CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS.

GARMENT-HOLDER.

SPEGIFIGATION forming part of Letters Pa ent No. 709,970, dated. September 30, 1902. Application filed January 23, 1902. SerialNo. 90.898. 0 model- To all whom, it flung concern.-

Be it known that I,NATHANDOUGLAs,a citizen of the United States of America,and a resident of Cambridge, in the countyof MiddleseX and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Garment-Holders, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to holding or securing devices,and more particularly to those adapted to support or retain in place portions of garments.

In the accompanying drawings, Figures 1, 2, and 3 are respectively a front, side, and rear elevation of one form of my invention; and Fig. 4 shows it applied to the use of securing together a dress waist and skirt.

Similar characters designate like parts throughout the several figures of the drawings.

My improved garment-holder A comprises more essentially a main or body portion 10 and engaging projections or hooks 11 at each end thereof, there being preferably a pair of these projections lying side by side and separated by a convenient distance. The projections are preferably connected to the body portion in such a manner that a relative yield is permitted without any element being permanently bent,and for this purpose a connecting portion 12, preferably formed as a spring, is provided.

A convenient method of forming the holder consists in twisting together two wires a Ct to form the body portion 10, then coiling each wire outward therefrom into the spiral springs 12, and then bending each free, end to form the hook 11, projecting from the side of the coil opposite the body portion. This hook extends toward the opposite end of the holder and is preferably pointed to readily engage the garment. The two hooks at each end may be substantially parallel to each other, but are preferably each inclined outward or form an angle withthe body portion, their points lying farther away therefrom than their connection with the springs. Each coiled portion or spring 12 is so formed-that the inner side of at least one'turn extends between the body portion and an engaging projection, completely closing the space, and on the side of said pnojection toward its companion. This brings the two coiled portions for the separate engaging projections closely adjacent to one another, they being in such close proximity that they furnish a substantially continuous stop-face 12 of double the width of the wire, in the present instance occupying the entire width between the engaging projections and past which the fabric cannot move.

It will be seen that in the use of a device of this class the principal component of the stress will fall upon the end rather than the sides of the hooks, and if these are separated by any appreciable space each will be supporting a small group of fibers of the fabric which are drawn sharply across the slender wire, which is extremely liable to fret or wear each of these groups through and cause the hooks to tear out. With my improved holder, however, no such difficulty can arise, since a large body of fibers forming a single group contacts with the substantially continuous stop-face of at least double the width of the wire, which in itself is less liable to tear out of the'fabric even if no greater number of fibers were supported by it. It will also be evident that if in the movement of the garment the portion resting against the stopface is drawn against the engaging projections the coils forming said stop-face furnish a very efiective spiral spring of large diameter, permitting a considerable yield, which will prevent permanent distortion of the projections and their tearing through the fabric under such lateral stresses.

This holder is adapted to a variety of uses in the securing of garments, one of these being more particularly illustrated in Fig. 4 of the drawings, in which its opposite engaging projections are shown as inserted through both a Waist W and skirt S, serving to efiectively retain them against relative displacement. Other uses to which it may be applied are for raising the bottoms of skirts from the ground and also as a sleeve-supporter. It is readily applied in any connection by first insorting one of the pairs of hooks in the garment and then drawing the fabric engaged slightly toward the opposite pair and inserting these latter.

It will be seen that while my improved garment-holder is exceedingly simple and inexpensive it is easy to apply, inconspicuous, and perfectly secure, that the separation of the hooks constituting the pair holds them against twist or like displacement, While the stop-face formed by the coils furnishes ample intermediate bearing for the fabric, consisting of a substantially continuous surface of double the width of the wire, and that the spring connection between the parts permits a yield which will take up stress without permanent bending resulting and will prevent tearing the fabric engaged.

Having thus described my invention, I claim 1. A garment-holder comprising a body portion, a pair of separated engagimg projections in proximity to each end of said body portion, and adjacent portions in connection with each of the engaging projections lying between the same and providing a practically continuous stop-face of at least double the width of each of said engaging projections.

2. A garment-holder comprising a body portion, a pair of separated engaging projections in proximity to each end of said body portion, and adjacent portions in connection with each of the engaging projections occupying substantially the entire width between the same and providing a practically continuous stop-face of at least double the Width of each of said engaging projections.

33. A garment-holder comprising a body portion, a plurality ofseparated engaging projections in proximity to each end of said body portion, and a coil connecting the body portion with each of the engaging projections, said coils lying closely adjacent to one another.

4. A garment-holder comprising a body portion, a plurality ofseparated engaging projections in proximity to each end of said body portion, and a coil connecting the body portion with each of the engaging projections, said coils lying closely adjacent to one another and having their inner side closing the space between the body portion and the engaging projections.

5. A garment-holder comprising a body portion, a pair of separated engaging projections in proximity to each end of said body portion, and a coil connecting the body portion with each engaging projection, said coils lying between the engaging projections and closely adjacent to one another.

Signed by me at Bostondylassachusetts, this 22d day of January, 1902.

' NATHAN DOUGLAS.

Witnesses:

WALTER E. LOMBARD, SYLvANUs H. COBB. 

